Improvement in machines for planting cotton-seed



R. S. THOMAS.

Cotton Planter.

No 2,205. Patented July 30, 1841;

AMJHOTO-LITHE C0. N,Y. (OSEORNES PRCCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

R. S. THOMAS, OF BENNETTSVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHlNES FOR PLANTING COTTON-SEED.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2,205, dated July 30,18 11.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, R. S. THOMAS, of Bennettsville, in the district ofMarlborough and State of South Carolina, have invented certainImprovements in the Manner of (Jonstructing a Seeding-Machine for thePurpose of Planting Cotton-Seed; and I dohereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of mymachine, the hopper being removed for the purpose of exhibiting theother parts the more distinctly. bed or base of the machine, the lowerside of which has its bearing on the ground. The wheels B may be aboutafoot in diameter, extending down below the under side of A to thedistance of an'inch and a half or two inches only, so as to insure theirrevolution and that of the axis upon which they are fastened. O is theplanting-roller, affixed to the axle of the wheels B B. This roller maybe about three or four inches in diameter and the same in length. On itsperiphery it is provided alternately with ridges or teeth and with holesfor the reception and the dropping of the seed. In the planting ofcottonseed its perpetual agitation is absolutely necessary to the passing of the seeds into the excavations prepared to receive them in theplantingcylinder, as the rubbing them with clay or other means adoptedto prevent the entangling of their fibers is not alone sufticient tocause them to descend with readiness into the excavations of the roller.a is one of the excavations on the roller U for the reception of theseed. These may be three-fourths of an inch in diameter and halt an inchdeep, more or less, and there may be three or four such on the face ofthe roller. 1) are the ridges formed along the roller, between theexcavations, for the purpose of agitating 'the seed. These ridges may beconverted into points, if preferred; but this is not necessary.

Fig. 2 represents the hopper inverted. The bottom 0 c, which rests uponthe plantingroller, has a piece of leather or other elastic material,(1, extended across it, which leather has an opening through it for thepassage of the seed onto the roller. The edges of the leathersurrounding the hole rest upon the planting-roller,and from itselasticityitadapts A is the.

itself perfectly to said roller and allows it to turn smoothly. The rearplate, A, of the bed is in a separate piece from the fore part, and ishinged to it, as shown at c. This rear part serves efl'eetually to coverthe seed with earth, and, being hinged, it moves out of the way ofstones or of other resisting substances.

Fig. 3 is a. view of the under side of the machine. ff is a keel orridged piece, which extends along from the fore end to the opening forthe planting-roller, and this serves to open a furrow much moreperfrctlythan can be done by a tooth or colter,and tends also to keepthe machine in a direct course. The piece A of the bed is cut away at gbehind the roller, to afford an opportunity for the collection by it ofthe loose earth which it is to deposit upon the seed.

Having thus fully described the nature of my cotton'planting machine andexplained the operation of the same, what I claim therein as new, anddesire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The manner of constructing the seeding roller with alternate ridgesor points and excavations for the reception of the seed to be planted,the ridges or points operating as agitators to keep the seed in motionand cause it to fall into the excavations.

2. I am aware that agitators have been .l'requently used within a hopperin seeding-ma chines; but these have been constructed in a manner muchmore complex than that employed by me. which method is perfectly effective and simple, not requiring any additional moving parts. I claim themanner of forming the bed piece in two parts, the rear part, A, beinghinged to the forward portion in the manner described, and for thepurpose of covering the seed that has been plantetLandthis 1 claim incombination with the ridge or keel piece for forming and preparing thefurrow, said keel piece extending along the bottom of the bed-piece.

3. The forming the bearing of the hopper upon the planting-roller bymeans of a piece of leather or other elastic n1aterial,in the manner setforth.

R. S. THOMAS.

\Vitnesses:

THos. P. J oNEs, B. K. MoRsELL.

